'Should I volunteer instead?' Lisa Grayback thought momentarily as soon as she realized that Vale was the center of attention once again.
She looked at Chad and Aubrey, and they seemed to have the same idea.
They don't want to put pressure on Vale as they planned to get tested first. Although they were also interested to know about Vale's improvement, they were worried that Vale would become a laughingstock in the whole class.
They can already see Jody writing a good headline for the Newspaper Club.
However, as she thought of raising her hand, Vale already agreed!
He didn't seem to mind their classmates' eagerness to put him in a difficult situation.
As Vale stood up, Lisa noticed something.
'Ah?'
She was startled as she was sure she saw a hint of a confident smile on Vale's face!
An idea suddenly came to her mind!
'Did he improve his Life Strand or Power Strand in exchange for a stagnant Spirit Strand?! Isn't that too stupid? What is he thinking?!'
She wanted to scold Vale for doing that since his future as a Spellcaster might be compromised because of this reckless decision.
Nevertheless, she couldn't say a word since it was inappropriate for a commoner like her to comment about such methods.
After all, this could be a tradition passed down to each member of the Chambers Family.
"Good! Vale Chambers can go first. We will only test the Power Strand this time. We'll do the assessment one at a time. Ahem… This green Crystal has a limit of 20 strands, so it's more than enough, and you can use it even until you graduate. I hope to see at least 3 or 4 Power Strands in each Crystal so good luck." Professor Shirley said as she invited Vale to come forward.
"What?! Four strands? Professor, you must be joking. It is too unfair for us." Emily immediately said as she knew that her Power Strand was nothing impressive.
"Professor, I heard that with our current age, our Life Strand should be around 3 or 4 Strands, but for the Power Strand, I think that a single strand is actually the average."
"T-that's right… Professor, you might've confused it for a moment. Please don't expect 4 Power Strands from us... We're Spellcasters."
Professor Shirley shook her head after hearing this. She then held the red Crystal tightly and spoke earnestly.
"That's right… That must be the average. However, we aren't looking for average students to participate in the Twelve Academies Competition. If you want a better chance, you must have a 3 or 4 Power Strand right now and increase it to even 6 or 7 before the Competition."
The students immediately quiet down after recalling the purpose of this assessment.
Indeed, this assessment wasn't just to boast about their Spell Mastery and Spirit Strands achievement! They have to be excellent students suited to be the representative of the whole Academy.
They could only watch Vale as he walked up to the front of the classroom with a mysterious smile on his face.
'The Power Converging Crystal only has 20 Strand Limit? This isn't even that exciting.' Vale thought as he knew this was his chance to prove himself, to show everyone what he was capable of.
Although he didn't really like to boast his current strength because he was too far ahead, he felt that this might actually be his chance to receive more benefits in the Academy!
He wanted to graduate as quickly as possible and get a chance to take back his shadow… He knows that he can't do it if he continues laying low.
Perhaps, showing his real power might do the trick.
He reached out and gently touched the red Crystal Professor Shirley handed over. He then felt a warm sensation in his palm, and it feels quite comfortable.
"Unlike the Life and Spirit Converging Crystal, the Power Converging Crystal might jolt your body for a brief moment, but that's normal…" Professor Shirley softly said, but it was enough for everyone to hear.
Vale nodded at this as he closed his eyes and let the Crystal scan his body, revealing his innate strength. He heard the teacher's voice in his ear, praising him for his calm and composed demeanor.
He waited for a couple of minutes until he heard a commotion from the class. He opened his eyes and saw that the red Crystal was actually glowing brightly, displaying a stunning sight.
'Is this what's supposed to happen?' Vale silently thought as he glanced at the Professor. It seems that there is a huge difference between the two other assessments.
He looked inside the Crystal and saw that twenty small white strands were swirling around, which was something he already expected.
'Was that glowing effect happen if I reached the red Crystal's limit? It didn't happen in the Spirt Converging Crystal though...' Vale mused.
He then heard someone clapping and immediately glanced at Chad. It was then followed by Lisa, Aubrey, and others as they started cheering for him.
As for the others, they were too stunned to even react. Their mouths were wide open as they couldn't process in their heads how a fifteen-year-old like him could have a Power Strand meant for a First-Class Knight!
This was too unbelievable!
The Professor, on the other hand, recovered quickly as she looked at Vale with a smile of approval and admiration. Although she was equally confused, the result wouldn't lie.
'I should report this to headmaster as quickly as possible...'
After the cheer calmed down, she announced to the class:
"Vale Chambers, you are a prodigy."
The latter felt a surge of pride, happiness, and excitement after seeing everyone's reaction.
'So it wasn't that bad showing off my current strength. However, this is just the beginning.' Vale thought as he looked at the Professor, expecting some recognition or reward for exceeding expectations.
Unfortunately, before she could even speak, Neil stood up and slammed his hands on his table.
"Professor! This is definitely weird! Having a 20 Power Strand is just too suspicious! There must be something wrong with the Crystal… or perhaps, Vale used one of the Forbidden Rituals of the Dark Arts Faction to increase his strength! Should we not report him to the Association to have him investigated?!"
